President’s Message – April 2018

With the arrival of Spring on March 20th, we look back on a very snowy winter in Calgary. Hats must go off the Rink Rats led by Scott Jacobson who have done yeoman’s work keeping the Cambrian outdoor ice rinks clear and in excellent condition. In addition, the beginning of 2018 has witnessed changes in our community development. City Council is turning administration of secondary suite applications over to Administration and this has resulted in a large number of submissions questioning the enforcement of illegal suites, the regulation of newly approved suites and the use of backyard lane suites as opposed to basement style suites. We encourage owners to be vigilant towards new applications as they impact your residence and make your concerns known to the City authorities. Similarly, there has been an increase in new development applications and you have a definite right to see the details of new construction and evaluate the impact on your residence and privacy. We encourage you to visit our website for guidelines especially our publication “Lessons Learned” for a practical guide to development issues.

A joint February Rustic Sign Handicraft Workshop involving the Cambrian School Parents and the Community Association was a great first success as the enclosed picture demonstrates with some of the participants. This was run as a fundraiser for the benefit of the school children.

In April there are three main events. On April 3 from 6:30 to 7:30 there will be a free registration session with a door prize and refreshments entitled Fun and Fearless Fitness. This will kick off four weekly evening sessions involving different disciplines for exercising designed as new programs to complement our existing yoga and Jazzercise programs.

This will be followed by a Red Cross sponsored  “Be Ready” evening program on April 10 at 7 PM designed to prepare your family for any personal disaster.

A highlight of the month will be the Wine Tasting Evening on April 14 at 7:30 featuring Spanish wines and speciality cheeses supplied by Springbank Cheese. This will be a great introduction to inexpensive quality wines from Spain. A sparkling white wine will introduce you to the tasting of 3 whites and 3 reds from different regions of Spain all explained in detail and matched to cheese and charcuterie plates. Tickets are $35 for members and $40 for guests and are available through eventbrite.ca

A complete list of currently scheduled special events at the Community Hall are as follows:

Other than the Wine tasting all these events are free to attend. Please check our website for updates and details of all events. Volunteering for setup, takedown or general assistance is an excellent way to make sure such events continue and to meet other members of the community. Please contact cambrianheights@gmail.com for more information.

We note a recent announcement by the City of Calgary that the off-leash dog park located at 32 Avenue and 10 Street will be closing with an expansion of the City’s Queens Park Cemetery. The City will be hosting an informational meeting at the Highwood Community Hall on May 9. This will be followed up in June with a community engagement on potential future sites. For more information visit calgary.ca/offleaseprojects.

We continue to look for volunteers who may have a specific interest in the Planning Committee or who will be able to become involved in the Provincial Casino fundraising program. The next Casino we estimate will not be until early 2019 so there is plenty of time to benefit from past experience and procedures.

The next meeting of the Board will take place April 9th. All residents are welcome to attend and share any concerns, questions or ideas you may have for our community. Please contact us at our email address for the specific time and place.

Remember Participation Builds Better Communities.

Daryl Connolly, President CHCA